BLS for Caregivers
Home healthcare is one of the fastest-growing parts of UAE healthcare, and caregivers are often alone with a frail patient when something goes wrong. Many home-care providers require their nurses and caregivers to hold a current BLS course certificate.
In short
Home-care nurses need BLS. Caregivers and nursing assistants employed by licensed home-care providers are often required to hold it too; family caregivers usually do better with a first aid course.
Collapse, choking during meals, falls and breathing difficulty are the realistic scenarios. BLS covers recognition, CPR, the AED and choking relief. Performing CPR on a bed is not effective; the course shows how to get the patient onto a firm surface.
Chest compressions on an elderly patient may cause rib fractures; effective compressions still come first because survival depends on them. The course discusses this so caregivers are not caught off guard.
We train home-care teams on site or at our centre — see on-site BLS training — and help you plan renewals.
Caregivers should know the patient’s medical history and any do-not-resuscitate decisions recorded by the treating team, the address to give the ambulance service, and where any home AED is kept. Discuss these with the employing provider or family before an emergency. The course covers the skills; the plan makes sure you can use them quickly.
Other life support and first aid courses: ACLS Course · PALS Course · First Aid Course · Training calendar
Caregivers employed by licensed home-care providers are often required to; check your employer.
Usually first aid, which covers a wider range of emergencies at home.
Not effectively. Move the person to a firm surface such as the floor if possible.
Yes, normally as a licensing and employment requirement.
Yes, on site or at our centre.
Effective compressions can fracture ribs in frail patients, but without CPR a person in cardiac arrest will not survive. Follow the patient's documented care plan and any decisions made by the treating team.
Safety First Medical Services is an American Heart Association training centre on Al Reem Island. Classroom BLS, HeartCode blended BLS and on-site group BLS training, with a two-year AHA BLS Provider eCard on completion.
See BLS dates and register BLS course overview Group booking enquiry
What we teach follows the awarding body and the UAE health authorities. For the definitive position on a course or licensing question, these are the places to check.
Last reviewed by the training team at Safety First Medical Services, an American Heart Association training centre at Addax Office Tower, Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi. Call +971 55 761 9841 or email training@safetyfirstmed.ae.